System and method for obtaining competitive pricing for vehicle services

ABSTRACT

In order to obtain competitive pricing for vehicle servicing, a pricing service provider is used to obtain pricing data from a plurality of service vendors. In at least some embodiments, one or more of the following types of additional information for each vendor will be provided along with the pricing data, to enable the consumer (the owner or operator of the vehicle) to make an informed selection: a rating of the vendor, a relative distance between the consumer (or known vehicle location) and the vendor, and a time period defining when the vendor will be able to accommodate the service. In at least some embodiments, a pricing service provider hosts a reverse auction for the benefit of the consumer. In at least some embodiment, the pricing service provider hosts a webpage upon which results of the service requests from the plurality of vendors are displayed.

This application is a continuation-in-part of a copending patentapplication Ser. No. 12/956,961, filed on Nov. 30, 2010, the benefit ofthe filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle owners, including individual consumers and fleet operators, havemany choices for acquiring services for their vehicles. Such servicescan include, but are not limited to, routine maintenance, diagnosis andrepair of fault conditions, and replacement of consumable items, such asengine oil, coolant, brakes and tires. Selecting an appropriate vendoris often a time consuming endeavor.

Particularly with respect to the diagnosis or detection of faultconditions, today's vehicles are equipped with many different types ofdata collection and processing components, and such data can be usefulin diagnosing specific vehicle problems.

Much of the data collected by the data collection components is used tocontrol the operation of the vehicle. For example, data collected byoxygen sensors is used to control the amount of fuel introduced into theengine, to avoid providing an overly rich fuel mixture that would resultin decreased fuel efficiency and increased emissions.

Two broad classes of vehicle performance data include operational dataand fault code data. Operational data encompasses data that is used tocontrol the operation of the vehicle, such as the data from oxygensensors, as noted above. In general, operational data is not stored, butrather generated, contemporaneously used as necessary to control variousvehicular systems (such as a fuel injection system, a cooling system,and/or a braking system), and then discarded. Exemplary operational datainclude, but is not limited to, engine coolant temperature, enginespeed, oxygen levels, throttle position, brake temperature, vehiclespeed, brake position, and gearbox parameters. Much of this data iscollected very frequently. Indeed, some types of operational data arecollected multiple times per second. The sheer quantity of operationaldata being generated makes storing or archiving all of the operationaldata problematical. Some vendors do provide data logging systems fortemporary use in vehicles, where all the operational data generated bythe vehicle is stored, but such data logging systems are not designedfor long term use.

Fault code data addresses the problem of storing the enormous quantityof operational data generated by vehicles. Fault codes corresponding tospecific undesirable operating parameters are predefined. A processor inthe vehicle monitors the operational data as it is generated, andwhenever an operating parameter corresponding to a specific predefinedfault code is detected, indicating that a fault has occurred, the faultcode is stored in a memory in the vehicle. The fault code is generally anumeric or alphanumeric value that can be stored using minimal memoryresources. For example, the number 11 can be defined as a fault code fora specific condition, such as sensing that the battery voltage hasdropped below 4 volts or has remained between 7 and 8 volts for morethan 20 seconds. Fault codes can be retrieved from memory and used todiagnose vehicle problems. However, even when thus accessing faultcodes, accurate diagnosis of other than routine vehicular systemfailures can be problematical.

In addition to fully automated vehicle monitoring and data collection,additional data derived from manual vehicle inspections and operatorexperience while driving a vehicle can be collected in an automatedfashion. Such data can be provided by a person visually observing thecondition of components on a vehicle either during routine inspectionsor simply while near the vehicle, but can also be based upon the drivingfeel and sensation experienced by an operator while using the vehicle.The data can readily be input using a handheld data collection devicesuch as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,646;6,804,626; 7,557,696; and 7,117,121. For example, during a safetyinspection of a vehicle or while walking by the vehicle, the operatormay note that one or more tires are worn and may require replacement.Entry of data indicating such conditions into a portable data collectiondevice, as described in the above noted patents readily facilitates theelectronic transfer of the data to a remote facility. And, as notedabove, conditions related to the status of the vehicle may be observedby an operator while the vehicle is being driven. For example, anoperator may note that the brakes are starting to chatter when lightlydepressed, indicating either that a brake rotor is warped or that thebrake pads are worn and need to be replaced. The operator can input theobservation about the brakes chattering into a data terminal for uploadto a remote site, which can then determine the type of repair that isneeded to correct the problem or schedule the more detailed mechanicalinspection of the vehicle to determine the actual source of the problem.

Conventionally, the service shop that is selected to repair a vehicle orfurther diagnose problems observed by an operator is selected eitherbased on past knowledge of the service shop vendor, or by referral fromsomeone who has experience with the service shop, or by randomlyselecting a service vendor from a list such as provided in the yellowpage listing or on the Internet. While an operator or owner of a vehiclemay call to inquire about repair estimates, the decision to use aspecific repair service vendor is often based on incomplete data and maynot represent the best choice from the available repair service vendorsnear a desired location for the repair or maintenance.

Accordingly, regardless of the types of data used to facilitate adiagnosis of vehicle problems, the vehicle operator or owner wouldbenefit from being provided with a more complete list of the suitableand cost effective repair facilities available near a location toperform the required servicing. It would also be desirable to providethe operator of the vehicle with the cost charged by each such repairservice vendor for performing the required repair or maintenance.Further, it would be desirable to obtain the lowest costs at which eachsuch vendor is willing to perform the repair task. It would also bedesirable to provide vehicle operators with well defined service needs(new tires, oils changes, etc.) with similar information on suitablevendors.

For those cases in which the vehicle operator may not know the actualtype of repair that is required for a vehicle, it would be desirable toprovide a vehicular diagnostic service for vehicle operators thatprovides the vehicle operators with information defining the requiredrepair. This information could thus be used to create the list of therepair service vendors willing and able to promptly perform that repair,along with the costs for each specific vendor to complete the repair.

SUMMARY

This application specifically incorporates herein by reference, thedisclosures and drawings of the patents identified above.

The concepts disclosed herein encompass determining the service needs ofa particular vehicle, contacting a plurality of suitable vendors toobtain pricing data for the service, and providing the operator of thevehicle with the pricing data obtained from the vendors. In at leastsome embodiments, one or more of the following types of additionalinformation for each vendor will be provided along with the pricingdata, to enable the consumer (the owner or operator of the vehicle) tomake an informed selection: a rating of the vendor, a relative distancebetween the consumer (or known vehicle location) and the vendor, and atime period defining when the vendor will be able to accommodate theservice. In at least some embodiments, a pricing service provider hostsa reverse auction for the benefit of the consumer. In at least someembodiments, the pricing service provider hosts a webpage upon whichresults of the service requests from the plurality of vendors aredisplayed.

In some circumstances, the consumer will know exactly what services arerequired. For example, a particular consumer may need new tires fortheir vehicle, or may need their oil changed. In embodiments directed toserving that need, the consumer conveys a service request thatspecifically defines the required service to the pricing serviceprovider, who in turn conveys the specific, well defined service requestto the plurality of vendors, to obtain pricing data for the consumer.

In some circumstances, the consumer may understand there is a problemwith the vehicle, but may not know exactly what service is required. Theconcepts disclosed herein encompass embodiments in which the pricingservice provider acquires vehicle performance data from the specificvehicle, and that vehicle performance data is used to determine thespecific service that is required. The diagnosis of the vehicleperformance data can be performed by a third party, by the pricingservice provider, or by each vendor providing a price quote, as well ascombinations and permutations thereof. In some embodiments, the vehicleperformance data is acquired by the consumer and conveyed to the pricingservice provider along with a request for service. Low cost diagnosticunits capable of extracting fault code data and other vehicleperformance data from vehicles are increasingly available. In at leastone embodiment disclosed herein, individual consumers use such equipmentto transfer vehicle performance data to their smart phones, and suchdata is then conveyed to the pricing service provider. Vehiclemanufactures are also increasingly collecting and storing vehicleperformance data from vehicles they manufacture and sell. Manufacturessuch as General Motors, Ford, and Hyundai each have varying abilities tocollect vehicle performance data. The concepts disclosed hereinencompass conveying vehicle performance data collected by such thirdparties to a pricing service provider to be used for the purpose ofacquiring pricing information for the required service. There also existvendors who install after market data collection components in vehicles(such data collection components are often integrated into positiontracking components), and the concepts disclosed herein encompassconveying vehicle performance data collected by such monitoring servicevendors to the pricing service provider to be used for the purpose ofacquiring pricing information for the required service. In at least oneembodiment, the pricing service provider also collects and archivesvehicle performance data collected from the vehicle on a regular basis(thus, the monitoring service and the pricing service provider are thesame entity).

The concepts disclosed herein also encompass embodiments where theconsumer does not yet know that their vehicle requires service, but athird party who collects and monitors vehicle performance data collectedfrom the consumer's vehicle on a regular basis detects a problem withthe vehicle (a current fault condition or a developing fault condition)by analyzing the vehicle performance data collected from the consumer'svehicle. The third party then contacts the pricing service provider(noting that in some embodiments the monitoring party and the pricingservice provider are the same entity) for obtaining pricing data for therequired service. As discussed above, the pricing service providercollects pricing data from a plurality of vendors, and then conveys thatpricing data either directly to the vehicle operator, or to the thirdparty monitoring service, who in turn contacts the vehicle operator.

Thus, in at least some embodiments, data is collected from a vehicle andused to diagnose any mechanical or electrical problems with the vehicle,quotes for the required repair are acquired from a plurality of vendors,and the pricing data is provided to the operator of the vehicle. In atleast one embodiment, the repair costs are determined in a reverseauction, where vendors compete for the opportunity to repair thediagnosed problem by making bids for the costs that will be incurred ifthey provide the required service; however, it will be understood thatnon-binding repair quotes can alternatively be solicited from repairvendors who are interested in repairing the vehicle. A reverse auctionis a type of auction in which the roles of buyers and sellers arereversed. In an ordinary auction (also known as a forward auction),buyers compete to obtain a good or service, and the price typicallyincreases over time. In a reverse auction, sellers compete to obtainbusiness, and prices typically decrease over time. It should beunderstood that the reverse auction embodiment is not limited toembodiments where vehicle performance data is used to diagnose theservice needed, but that the reverse auction technique can also beapplied to embodiments where the consumer knows what service is required(i.e., new tires, an oil change, or the repair of a previously diagnosedcondition).

In at least one embodiment, the vehicle operator signs up with a vendorfor a vehicle monitoring service (noting that the monitoring service maybe part of the purchase price of the vehicle). The monitoring servicevendor collects performance data from the operator's vehicle on anongoing basis. The monitoring service vendor monitors the performancedata, looking for any indication in the performance data of an existingor developing fault condition. Once a mechanical or other failure isdetected or predicted, the monitoring service vendor contacts thepricing service provider (i.e., the entity who requests and obtainsservice quotes from service vendors), who contacts providers of vehiclerepair services and requests bids for the required repair. Vendorsinterested in repairing the vehicle can then submit non-binding orbinding quotes for the cost to complete the job, which in some exemplaryembodiments, may be broken down in terms of labor and parts costs. In atleast one embodiment, the bids are requested in a reverse auction styleformat, where the vehicle repair providers bid on the job, which tendsto reduce the costs bid by successive bidders. The pricing servicevendor then makes the diagnosis and the reverse auction bid resultsavailable to the vehicle operator, the monitoring service vendor, orboth. As noted above, in some embodiments the vehicle monitoring serviceand the pricing service provider are the same entity, although it shouldbe recognized that the concepts disclosed herein also specificallyencompass embodiments in which the vehicle monitoring service and thepricing service provider are different entities.

It should be noted that as used herein, unless otherwise evident, theterms “operator” and “vehicle operator” are intended to encompass theparty actually operating a vehicle, as well as the owner of the vehicle,and/or the person or persons responsible for ensuring that vehicles aremaintained. For example, a fleet of vehicles may be owned by a person, acompany, or a corporate entity, and each of these entities isencompassed by the term vehicle owner and/or vehicle operator. Also, theowner may employ one or more other persons to be responsible forensuring that the vehicles are repaired or maintained using a vehiclerepair vendor selected by that person or by the owner, and such one ormore other persons are also encompassed by the terms operator and/orvehicle operator. The term consumer is used refer to the partyrequesting the pricing data from the pricing service provider, who canbe the vehicle operator and/or the monitoring service.

In some embodiments, the pricing service provider charges vehicleoperators a subscription fee (the pricing service may be bundled withadditional services, including but not limiting to the monitoringservice discussed above). In some embodiments, the pricing serviceprovider charges the service facility that wins the reverse auction (orwhose non-binding or binding quote is selected) and provides the repairservice a fee. It should also be understood that a third party may betasked with carrying out the reverse auction on behalf the vehicleowner, and/or the monitoring service. The fee to the repair facility maybe a flat fee or a percentage of the repair costs.

In some embodiments, the diagnosis data and the reverse auction data areavailable to vehicle operators and providers of vehicle repair servicesover the Internet. In at least one embodiment, the pricing serviceprovider hosts a website that is accessible to vehicle operators and (insome embodiments) providers of vehicle repair services. In at least oneembodiment, the pricing service provider prequalifies providers ofvehicle repair services, to ensure that each provider participating inthe reverse auction is qualified to perform the requested repair. In atleast one embodiment, the vehicle monitoring service vendor and/orpricing service provider prequalifies vehicle operators, to ensure thatvehicle operator is able to pay for the requested repair. In at leastone embodiment, the requested repair must be scheduled through thevehicle monitoring service vendor and/or pricing service provider, toprevent providers of vehicle repair services and vehicle operators,introduced through the vehicle monitoring service vendor or pricingservice provider, from making side agreements for the requested repairthat deny the vehicle monitoring service vendor/pricing service providera fee earned for facilitating the transaction between the service vendorand the vehicle operator. In at least one embodiment, the vehiclemonitoring service pays the repair vendor, and bills the vehicleoperator. The vehicle monitoring service may also pay the pricingservice provider to conduct the reverse auctions. In at least oneembodiment, the pricing service provider pays the repair vendor, andbills the vehicle operator or the vehicle monitoring service.

In at least one embodiment, the location of the vehicle varies overtime, and the pricing service provider prequalifies providers of vehiclerepair services according to the current location of the operator'svehicle (i.e., providers of vehicle repair services who are locatedbeyond a predefined distance are not allowed to bid in the reverseauction). The pricing service provider will have access to thatinformation when the pricing service provider and the monitoring serviceare the same entity. Where the pricing service provider and themonitoring service are not the same entity, the pricing service providercan obtain the vehicle location from the monitoring service, and/or thevehicle operator. In at least one embodiment, vehicle operators candefine, or redefine, the predefined distance. In at least oneembodiment, vehicle operators can define a desired location for therepair (for example, a vehicle may be en route to a specificdestination, and the vehicle operator can define that destination sothat repair costs from vendors at the destination can bid on therepair). The current location of the vehicle may be determined by a GPSreceiver disposed on the vehicle and will then enable the currentlocation of the vehicle to be the basis for determining the desiredlocation for the repair to be carried out.

Clearly, for certain critical types of repair in which a vehicle is notoperative or should not be operated any longer than necessary for safetyconsiderations, the current location will be appropriately the desiredlocation for the repair. However, other types of vehicle faults andconditions that are diagnosed will be for less critical repairs that canbe deferred until the vehicle is at a different location in its route,or has returned to its home base. The vehicle monitoring service will beaware of the current location and can have access to the routeinformation of each vehicle it is monitoring, so it will be able todetermine the desired location based on that information and the typeand criticality of the repair to be performed. In at least oneembodiment, the operator of the vehicle can communicate with the vehiclemonitoring service or pricing service provider to advise of thevehicle's planned route or to make changes in a predefined route.

In some embodiments, the vehicle monitoring service vendor collects datafrom enrolled vehicles in real-time. In some embodiments, the vehiclemonitoring service vendor collects fault code data from enrolledvehicles, and uses the fault code data to monitor the vehicle, anddetermine if a repair is required. In a particularly preferredembodiment, the vehicle monitoring service vendor collects fault codedata and non-fault code based performance from enrolled vehicles inreal-time, and uses the fault code data and the performance data tomonitor the vehicle, and determine if a repair is required. In at leastone embodiment, the amount of performance data collected increases whena fault code is detected. In some exemplary embodiments, the vehicle mayalert the operator of a problem requiring repair with a warning on theinstrument panel in the vehicle. The operator can then transmit arequest for automatically obtaining quotes to complete the repair frominterested service vendors to the monitoring service, which can respond(or use a third party) to obtain the quotes or conduct a reverse auctionto determine the costs for each interested service vendor to completethe desired repair. In some exemplary embodiments, the operator canselect a desired service vendor to complete the repair from among thequotes submitted by the service vendors interested in doing the repairwork, or from the bids provided by the service vendors participating inthe reverse auction.

In at least one embodiment, the information about the vehicle providedto the repair vendors is sufficiently detailed such that repair vendorscan feel confident of the services required, so that such repair vendorswill be able to more aggressively compete for business (i.e., the repairvendors will feel more confident in offering their lowest possible pricefor the repair, without being concerned that the diagnosis is too vagueto enable their best price to be offered). In some embodiments, the dataprovided to the repair vendors will be from a recognized diagnosticsoftware application known to repair vendors, who have come to trust theresults provided by such an application. Such diagnostic softwareapplications use many types of data (including but not limited to faultcode data, vehicle sensor data, the vehicle identification number (VIN),the firmware version of the vehicle computer, details about the specifictransmission with which the vehicle is equipped, and details about thespecific engine with which the vehicle is equipped) to arrive at adetailed diagnosis. In some embodiments, the monitoring service willinput the required data in a diagnostic package of their own choosing,while in other embodiments the monitoring service will forward the rawdata to the repair vendors who will input the required data in adiagnostic package of the repair vendor's choosing. Using a well knownor trusted diagnostic software application will likely encourage repairvendors to provide better pricing. Vendors such as Navistar, DetroitDiesel, and Snap-on Tools offer such diagnostic software applications.

It should be understood that the concepts disclosed herein can becombined with many types of data collection strategies. In at least oneembodiment, the vehicle is configured to transmit data to the remoteserver at various intervals, and at each interval, the vehicle willtransmit data including position data and vehicle performance data tothe remote server (however, the concepts disclosed herein also encompassembodiments where performance data is transmitted without positiondata). The quantity of performance data to be transmitted can be varied.The more performance data that is conveyed from the vehicle to theremote server operated by the monitoring service, the more likely theremote server will be able to accurately identify mechanical faults.However, as the volume of performance data transmitted from the vehicleto the remote server increases, the required computing resourcesincreases, and transmission related costs can increase. Thus, theartisan of skill will recognize that tradeoffs exist in determining howmuch performance data to convey from the vehicle to the remote server.In at least one embodiment, a relatively small amount of performancedata is transmitted to the remote server at each transmission interval.The type of data transmitted at each interval can be varied (forexample, injector data is included in a first transmission, oxygensensor data is included in a second transmission, brake sensor data isincluded in a third transmission, and so on until many different typesof performance data are conveyed to the remote server over time). In atleast some embodiments, the remote server is configured to requestspecific types of performance data (i.e., data from specific sensors) toaid in identifying a particular mechanical fault.

With respect to data transmissions from the vehicle to the remoteserver, in at least one embodiment the vehicle transmits data to theremote server each time the vehicle changes heading. In at least oneembodiment, the vehicle transmits data to the remote server atpredefined time intervals. In at least one embodiment, the vehicletransmits data to the remote server each time a fault code is generatedin the vehicle. In at least one embodiment, the vehicle transmits datato the remote server each time a vehicle sensor acquires a reading thatvaries from a predetermined threshold, even if no fault code isgenerated. In at least one embodiment, the vehicle transmits positiondata to the remote server each time performance data or fault code datais conveyed to the remote server. Also, in at least one exemplaryembodiment, the performance data and fault code data are conveyed to theremote server immediately upon being generated by the vehicle's systemand without being logged based on priority, although it is contemplatedthat other approaches might be used, such as time schedules or type offault code being used to determine when the data are transmitted.

The methods disclosed herein are preferably implemented by a processor(such as a computing device implementing machine instructions toimplement the specific functions noted above) or a custom circuit (suchas an application specific integrated circuit). Further, the conceptsdisclosed herein also encompasses machine instructions stored on anon-transitory memory medium, which when executed by a processorimplement one or more of the methods disclosed herein, and systems forimplementing the disclosed methods. In one exemplary system, the basicelements include a computing device remote from the vehicle thatimplements the functions of monitoring the performance data from thevehicle to identify a fault, automatically contacting vendors to acquirerepair costs (either through a reverse auction or simple price request),and automatically contacting the vehicle operator (either the driver ora fleet manager) to inform the operator of the fault and the repaircosts/repair options. It should be understood that the term computingdevice encompasses computing environments including multiple processorsand memory storage devices, where certain functions are implemented ondifferent ones of the multiple processors. Thus, the term computingdevice not only encompasses single desktop and laptop computers, butalso networked computers, including servers and clients, in privatenetworks or as part of the Internet. The data being processed can bestored by one element in such a network, retrieved for review by anotherelement in the network, and analyzed by yet another element in thenetwork.

The term real-time as used herein and the claims that follow is notintended to imply the data is transmitted instantaneously, rather thedata is collected over a relatively short period of time (over a periodof seconds or minutes), and transmitted to the remote computing deviceon an ongoing basis, as opposed to storing the data at the vehicle foran extended period of time (hour or days), and transmitting an extendeddata set to the remote computing device after the data set has beencollected.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, a vehicle operator can access thereverse auction network (i.e., the pricing service provider discussedabove) using a hand held portable computing device, such as a smartphone. While many of the embodiments discussed above have emphasizedvehicle fleet operators, the smart phone embodiment specifically isintended to encompass individual consumers seeking to obtain repairservices for their personal vehicles (although fleet operators may alsochoose to utilize such an embodiment). The smart phone embodimentspecifically includes the ability to have the vehicle operator use thesmart phone to convey information regarding the requested service to thepricing service provider (or in some embodiments, to a vehiclemonitoring service, if no consumer/vendor relationship exists betweenthe consumer and the pricing service provider, but such a relationshipexists between the consumer and the vehicle monitoring service). In somerelated embodiments, the consumer uses their smart phone to access areverse auction network hosted by the pricing service provider. Thisembodiment enables the services of the pricing service provider to beaccessible to vehicle owners whose vehicles are not equipped to sendvehicle data to a vehicle monitoring service. It should be understoodthat the smart phone embodiment also encompasses vehicles that areequipped to send vehicle performance data to a vehicle monitoringservice, generally as discussed above. Due to the limitations of thedisplays and processing power available to smart phones relative todesktop and laptop computers, the vehicle monitoring service and/orpricing service provider can provide pricing data and service vendorinformation to the consumer in a format suitable for display on smallerscreens. The smart phone embodiment specifically encompasses embodimentsin which the consumer specifically defines the desired service (and novehicle performance data is included in the pricing request), as well asembodiments where the smart phone user includes vehicle performance datathey extract from their vehicle.

This Summary has been provided to introduce a few concepts in asimplified form that are further described in detail below in theDescription. However, this Summary is not intended to identify key oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

DRAWINGS

Various aspects and attendant advantages of one or more exemplaryembodiments and modifications thereto will become more readilyappreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a high level functional block diagram illustrating thevarious inputs that can be received by a pricing service provider, whoin response to an input will send a pricing request to a plurality ofservice vendors;

FIG. 1B is a high level functional block diagram providing greaterdetail about the various inputs that can be received by the pricingservice provider of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a consumer suspects that a specific vehicle needs servicing, butdoes not understand what specific service is required, and that consumerwants a pricing service provider to obtain pricing data for the vehicleservice;

FIG. 1D is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a consumer enrolled in a monitoring service (the monitoringservice collecting and storing vehicle performance data for theconsumer's vehicle) suspects that a specific vehicle needs servicing,but does not understand what specific service is required, and thatconsumer wants a pricing service provider to obtain pricing data for thevehicle service;

FIG. 1E is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a monitoring service collecting and storing vehicle performancedata for a client's vehicle is the consumer from the standpoint of thepricing service provider, and the monitoring service suspects that theirclient's vehicle needs servicing based on the vehicle performance datathey monitor;

FIG. 1F is a high level logic diagram showing exemplary overall methodsteps implemented in accord with the concepts disclosed herein toremotely monitor a vehicle using data collected during normal vehicleoperations, to use the collected data to diagnose an abnormal vehicleparameter in real-time, and to provide reverse auction results for thediagnosed repair to the vehicle operator;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary computing devicethat can be employed to implement some of the method steps disclosedherein;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary system employed toimplement some of the concepts disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary functional block diagram showing the basicfunctional components used to implement the method steps of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot of a webpage accessed by a vehicleoperator to review the results of the reverse auction for a specificvehicle;

FIG. 6 is a high level logic diagram showing exemplary overall methodsteps implemented in accord with the concepts disclosed herein to host areverse auction for a vehicular service;

FIG. 7 is another exemplary functional block diagram showing the basicfunctional components used to implement the method steps of FIG. 1F,where the performance data includes buffered operation data and faultcodes;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a pricing service provider,a consumer, and a plurality of service vendors interacting over theInternet; and

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an exemplary kit, designed tofacilitate an interaction between a smart phone user and a pricingservice provider.

DESCRIPTION Figures and Disclosed Embodiments are not Limiting

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced Figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and Figures disclosedherein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. Nolimitation on the scope of the technology and of the claims that followis to be imputed to the examples shown in the drawings and discussedherein. Further, it should be understood that any feature of oneembodiment disclosed herein can be combined with one or more features ofany other embodiment that is disclosed, unless otherwise indicated.

As used herein and in the claims that follow, a reference to an activitythat occurs in real-time is intended to refer not only to an activitythat occurs with no delay, but also to an activity that occurs with arelatively short delay (i.e., a delay or lag period of seconds orminutes, but with less than an hour of lag time).

The concepts disclosed herein encompass several different embodimentsfor providing consumers with pricing information for servicing avehicle. The concepts disclosed herein encompass embodiments in which aconsumer (who can be a private individual, a fleet operator, and/or amonitoring service) contacts a pricing service provider and requestspricing information for a vehicle service, as well as embodiments inwhich the pricing service provider monitors vehicle performance data todetermine that vehicle servicing is required (which in some cases mayoccur before the consumer recognizes that service is required). Once thepricing service provider determines that service is required (eitherbased on a request for service from a consumer, or an analysis ofvehicle performance data, or a combination thereof), the pricing serviceprovider contacts a plurality of vendors to acquire pricing data forperforming the requested service. In at least some embodiments, thepricing service provider hosts a reverse auction, in which interestedservice vendors compete with one another for the service job. In atleast some embodiments, the pricing service provider hosts a webpageupon which results of the service requests from the plurality of vendorsare displayed.

FIG. 1A is a high level functional block diagram illustrating thevarious inputs that can be received by a pricing service provider 202,who in response to an input will send a pricing request to a pluralityof service vendors 212 a-212 c (noting that the three service vendorsshown in the Figure are simply exemplary, and that price requests mayactually be sent to more or fewer service vendors).

A first type of input that can be received by pricing service provider202 is a defined service request 206. The term defined service requestis intended to encompass those service requests where there is no needto diagnose the vehicle to determine what type of service is required.Such an input will be received when a consumer (which could be anoperator 200 or a monitoring service 204) determines that a specifictype of service is required, and wants pricing service provider 202 toobtain pricing data for that service. For example, a car owner mayrealize that their vehicle requires new tires, and request pricingservice provider 202 to obtain pricing data for the specific type oftires required from a plurality of service vendors. It should beunderstood that the defined service request is not limited to tires, butcan include any type of vehicle service where the scope of the requiredservice is well characterized at the time of the request. Exemplary, butnot limiting defined service requests includes brake replacement(replacement of pads only, or the replacement of pads and resurfacing ofrotors), oil changes, tire replacement, cooling system maintenance,scheduled maintenance services, and repair of diagnosed vehicle faults.The defined service request can originate from a vehicle operator (suchas an individual car owner or a fleet operator) or from a third partymonitoring service, which regularly acquires vehicle performance data,and monitors the vehicle performance data to identify any vehicleservice needs. Vehicle manufactures are increasingly collecting andstoring vehicle performance data from vehicles they manufacture andsell. Manufactures such as General Motors, Ford, and Hyundai each havevarying abilities to collect vehicle performance data. Applicant isdeveloping data collection components to be installed in fleet vehicles(such data collection components are often integrated into positiontracking components), to be used by vendors to offer monitoring servicesto alert vehicle owners to service issues that can be proactivelyaddressed before failures take vehicles out of service or result in morecostly repairs. Such a monitoring service (via the manufacturer or someother party) can analyze the vehicle performance data, and contact thepricing service provider when the need for vehicle service isidentified. The pricing service provider will then provide themonitoring service with the price quotes, and the monitoring service canprovide those pricing quotes to their clients (the vehicle operator). Inat least one embodiment, discussed below, the pricing service providerand monitoring service are the same entity.

A second type of input that can be received by pricing service provider202 is vehicle performance data 208. The term vehicle performance datais intended to encompass all types of data collected from a vehicle thatcan be used to diagnose a vehicle fault or to identify an anomalouscondition that should be addressed. Vehicle performance dataspecifically includes operational data and fault code data. Vehicleperformance data can be collected on an ongoing basis by a vehiclemonitoring service. Vehicle performance data can also be collected whenthe operator of the vehicle suspects that some type of vehicle serviceis required, but the specific service required cannot be defined by thevehicle operator. The vehicle performance data is conveyed to thepricing service provider, and the pricing service provider can analyzethe vehicle performance data to determine what service is needed. Thepricing service provider can also convey the vehicle performance data tothe service vendors, so each vendor can analyze the vehicle performancedata to determine what service is needed. Note that as shown in FIG. 1A,pricing service provider 202 can receive vehicle performance data 208from operator 200, from monitoring service 204, or from vehicle 210.

When the pricing service provider receives the vehicle performance datafrom operator 200, the operator will suspect that some service isneeded, but will not be certain what specific service is required (i.e.,a diagnosis is required). In this context, the vehicle performance datais acquired by the operator/consumer and conveyed to the pricing serviceprovider along with a request for service. Low cost diagnostic unitscapable of extracting fault code data and other vehicle performance datafrom vehicles are increasingly available. In at least one embodimentdisclosed herein, individual consumers use such equipment to transfervehicle performance data to their smart phones, and such data is thenconveyed to the pricing service provider.

When the pricing service provider receives the vehicle performance datafrom monitoring service 204, the monitoring service may suspect thatsome service is needed, but will not be certain what specific service isrequired (i.e., a diagnosis is required). In this context, vehicleperformance data acquired and stored by the monitoring service isconveyed to the pricing service provider along with a request forservice. Note that in some business models, the monitoring service willhave access to diagnostic tools that can be used to analyze the vehicleperformance data, such that a defined service request can be conveyed tothe pricing service vendor. Some monitoring services may employrelatively simply diagnostic algorithms to identify potential problems,and outsource detailed diagnostic functions to either the pricingservice provider or service vendors.

When the pricing service provider receives the vehicle performance datafrom the vehicle, the pricing service provider is also functioning as amonitoring service.

Once the service vendors submit pricing to the pricing service vendor,those prices are conveyed to one or more of the monitoring service andoperator. In some embodiments, the pricing service provider generates awebpage 214 to communicate with one or more of the service vendors, theoperator, and the monitoring service. In at least one embodiment, thewebpage hosts a reverse auction in which service vendors compete for theservice business. FIG. 5 (discussed below) illustrates an exemplarywebpage.

FIG. 1B is a high level functional block diagram providing greaterdetail about the various inputs that can be received by a pricingservice provider 202. A block 216 a corresponds to an input receivedfrom a consumer (such as a fleet operator or the owner of a privatevehicle) who has a well defined service request, such as the replacementof tires, or the repair of a previously diagnosed condition (noting thatsuch services are intended to be exemplary, and not limiting). A block216 b corresponds to an input received from a consumer (such as a fleetoperator or the owner of a private vehicle) who recognizes that sometype of service should be performed, but cannot specifically define thescope of the service. That consumer will send a poorly defined servicerequest to pricing service provider 202, along with vehicle performancedata that the pricing service provider or service vendors can use todiagnose the required service before providing price quotes. A block 216c corresponds to an input received from a consumer (such as a fleetoperator or the owner of a private vehicle) who recognizes that sometype of service should be performed, but cannot specifically define thescope of the service, and who employs a monitoring service to collectand store vehicle performance data. That consumer will send a poorlydefined service request to pricing service provider 202, along with arequest that the vehicle performance data needed be acquired from themonitoring service. In some embodiments, the consumer sends a request tothe monitoring service to forward the vehicle performance data to thepricing service provider, while in other embodiments the consumer sendsa poorly defined service request to the pricing service provider, andthe pricing service provider obtains the vehicle performance data fromthe monitoring service. A block 216 d corresponds to an input receivedfrom a monitoring service that has used vehicle performance data todiagnose a specific vehicle service. The monitoring service sends a welldefined service request to the pricing service provider to obtainpricing quotes for the service. A block 216 e corresponds to an inputreceived from a monitoring service that has used a basic diagnosticalgorithm to determine that some poorly defined vehicle service shouldbe performed. The monitoring service sends a poorly defined servicerequest to pricing service provider 202, along with vehicle performancedata that the pricing service provider or service vendors can use tomore specifically diagnose the required service before providing pricequotes.

FIG. 1C is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a consumer suspects that a specific vehicle needs servicing, butdoes not understand what specific service is required, and that consumerwants a pricing service provider to obtain pricing data for the vehicleservice. In a block 218, a consumer suspects that a specific vehiclerequires servicing, but cannot define the scope of the service that isrequired. In a block 220, the consumer extracts vehicle performance datafrom the vehicle and sends the vehicle performance data along with aservice request to a pricing service provider (this corresponds to theinput of block 216 b of FIG. 1B). Many relatively low cost diagnostictools are available to consumers to extract vehicle performance data(including but not limited to fault codes) from their vehicles. Evenwithout access to such tools, vehicle operators can pay a modest fee tohave such data extracted from their vehicles (auto parts stores areknown to provide this service free, so that they can obtain revenue fromselling the consumer the parts and tools required to perform the servicethemselves). In one embodiment, the consumer simply sends the numericalfault codes to the pricing service provider along with a servicerequest. In general, a service request will include basic informationabout the vehicle, including but not limited to the vehicle's make,model, mileage, equipment, and vehicle identification number (suchinformation is often used in diagnosing a particular fault code), alongwith any information about how a suspected problem condition ismanifesting itself in the vehicle (excess fuel consumption, hardstarting, reduction in power, etc.) In other embodiments, the consumerwill acquire an electronic data file from the vehicle, and that datafile is sent to the pricing service provider along with the servicerequest. In at least one embodiment, the consumer employs a dongle(i.e., a hardware connector) that couples a smart phone to a data portin the vehicle (such as an onboard diagnostics (OBD) port), such thatthe electronic data is imported from the vehicle into the smart phone.The electronic data file extracted from the vehicle is then conveyed tothe pricing service provider along with the service request. In a block222, the pricing service provider conveys the service request to aplurality of service vendors to obtain pricing data. It should beunderstood that block 222 encompasses embodiments where the pricingservice provider diagnoses the vehicle performance data and sends adefined service request to the service vendors, embodiments where thepricing service provider diagnoses the vehicle performance data andsends a defined service request and the vehicle performance data to theservice vendors, and embodiments where the pricing service provider doesnot diagnose the vehicle performance data, but sends a poorly definedservice request and the vehicle performance data to the service vendors.In a block 224 the service vendors provide pricing data for performingthe required service. It should be understood that block 224 encompassesreverse auction embodiments, as well as embodiments where each servicevendor simply quotes their price. In a decision block 226 the consumerselects (or not) a service vendor. If no service vendor is selected, themethod terminates. If a service vendor is selected, then the pricingservice provider facilitates the transaction between the consumer andthe selected service vendor in a block 228. While such facilitation isnot required, the pricing service provider will likely have a vestedinterest in facilitating the transaction. While it is possible that thepricing service provider will provide the pricing service for free(perhaps in order to drive traffic to a website, where the pricingservice provider earns advertising revenue), in at least someembodiments the pricing service provider will earn a transaction fee(most likely from the winning service vendor). Thus, in at least someembodiments encompassed by the concepts disclosed herein, the pricingservice provider is involved in the transaction between the selectedservice vendor and the consumer. In at least one embodiment, the pricingservice provider handles the payment between the consumer and theservice vendor, enabling the pricing service provider to retain part ofthe fee. In at least one embodiment, the pricing service providerhandles the scheduling between the consumer and the service vendor,enabling the pricing service provider to bill the service vendor (and/orconsumer) for the pricing service provided. In at least one embodiment,the pricing service provider withholds some service vendoridentification details from the consumer, to prevent the consumer frombypassing the pricing service provider, and preventing the pricingservice provider from earning a fee. For example, the pricing serviceprovider can withhold one or more of the following types of informationabout the service vendors until the pricing service provider is paid afee: the name of the service vendor, the address of the service vendor,and the telephone number of the service vendor.

FIG. 1D is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a consumer enrolled in a monitoring service (the monitoringservice collecting and storing vehicle performance data for theconsumer's vehicle) suspects that a specific vehicle needs servicing,but does not understand what specific service is required, and thatconsumer wants a pricing service provider to obtain pricing data for thevehicle service. In a block 218 a, a consumer suspects that a specificvehicle requires servicing, but cannot define the scope of the servicethat is required. In a block 219, the consumer sends a service requestto a pricing service provider (this corresponds to the input of block216 c of FIG. 1B). In a block 220 a, vehicle performance data isobtained from the monitoring service. It should be understood that block220 a encompasses embodiments where the pricing service providerrequests the vehicle performance data from monitoring service (so that adiagnosis of the required service can be made) as well as embodimentswhere the consumer requests the vehicle performance data from monitoringservice (so that a diagnosis of the required service can be made). Thesteps of blocks 222, 224, 226, and 228 remain consistent with thedescription of those blocks provided above in connection with FIG. 1C.

FIG. 1E is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,where a monitoring service collecting and storing vehicle performancedata for a client's vehicle is the consumer from the standpoint of thepricing service provider, and the monitoring service suspects that theirclient's vehicle needs servicing based on the vehicle performance datathey monitor. In a block 221, the monitoring service detects that aspecific vehicle requires servicing. In a block 223, the monitoringservice sends a service request to the pricing service provider. Itshould be understood that blocks 221 and 223 encompasses embodimentswhere the monitoring service has conclusively diagnosed what service isrequired (i.e., the monitoring service has performed a high leveldiagnostic, consistent with block 216 d of FIG. 1B), as well asembodiments where the monitoring service has not conclusively diagnosedwhat service is required (i.e., the monitoring service has performedonly a cursory diagnostic, consistent with block 216 e of FIG. 1B). Ifthe monitoring service has performed a detailed diagnosis, then novehicle performance data need be sent to the pricing service providerwith the service requests. However, it will be simple for the monitoringservice to send the pricing service provider the vehicle performancedata from which the diagnosis was made, and unless confidentialityissues preclude sharing that information with the pricing serviceprovider, in at least some embodiments the vehicle performance data willbe included even when the monitoring service believes they havecorrectly diagnosed the service required. If the monitoring service hasperformed only a cursory diagnosis, then the vehicle performance dataneeds to be sent to the pricing service provider with the servicerequest, so the detailed diagnosis can be performed by the pricingservice provider or the service vendors, generally as discussed above.The steps of blocks 222, 224, 226, and 228 remain consistent with thedescription of those blocks provided above in connection with FIG. 1C.Note that in block 228, the pricing service provider may be interactingwith the monitoring service (who then interacts with their client, thevehicle operator), and/or with the vehicle operator (the client of themonitoring service).

FIG. 1F is a high level flow chart showing the overall method stepsimplemented in accord with one aspect of the concepts disclosed herein,to convey performance data from a vehicle to a remote monitoring servicethat uses the performance data to diagnose any mechanical problems withthe vehicle. The monitoring service then collects quotes for therequired repair, and provides the operator of the vehicle withinformation describing the identified mechanical fault and the repaircosts from a plurality of vendors. In at least one embodiment, therepair costs have been determined in a reverse auction, where vendorscompete and bid for the opportunity to repair the diagnosed mechanicalproblem. The vendors may also simply submit non-binding or bindingquotes to repair the mechanical problem. Note that in this embodiment,the monitoring service and the pricing service provider are the sameentity.

Referring to an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1F, in a block 10,each vehicle enrolled in the diagnostic system is equipped withcomponents to collect vehicle performance data (which in at least someembodiments includes operational data, which may be collected in a databuffer or contemporaneously acquired from a vehicle data bus), a datalink to convey the performance data to a remote computing device formonitoring, and a processor for controlling the conveyance of theperformance data to the remote computing device. It should be noted thatin other exemplary embodiments, vehicle performance data need not beused to initiate an automated request for quotes or bids to repair amaintenance problem on a vehicle. Instead, the operator may transmit arequest for quotes or bids to be automatically solicited to repair aproblem with the vehicle either detected by the vehicle or by theoperator. In a block 12, the data link is used to convey the vehicleperformance data (or a request to solicit quotes or bids for repairingthe problem) to the remote monitoring service, i.e., to a server orcomputing device operated by the monitoring service.

In an exemplary, but not limiting embodiment, the vehicle includes aposition sensing component as well, and position data and performancedata are generated by the vehicle, and also transmitted to the remotemonitoring service.

It should be emphasized that data that are acquired during an inspectionof the vehicle may also be transmitted to the remote monitoring service.For example, a portable data entry device might be used to collect andtransmit data concerning the status of components on the vehicle. Onesuch exemplary portable data collection device disclosed in the patentsreferenced above includes a sensor that detects a token disposed at eachlocation on a vehicle included on a list of components to be inspected,when the portable data collection device is positioned proximate to thetoken, thereby ensuring that the person doing the inspection actuallywas physically present next to each of the components that are beinginspected. The person can enter data relating to the condition or statusof each component into the portable data collection device forsubsequent transmission to the remote monitoring service. In addition,even when noting that a component on the vehicle is in need of serviceor repair while operating the vehicle or simply walking by the vehicle,an operator can submit data electronically to the remote monitoringservice that is indicative of the condition noted by the operator. Forexample, the operator may notice that a light on the vehicle is notworking and needs to be replaced while walking around the vehicle, orwhile driving the vehicle, may notice that the engine is running roughor may detect an unusual noise in the valves. Also, the vehicle mayproviding a warning to the operator that a problem has been detected, sothat the operator can then transmit a request for automaticallysoliciting quotes or bids from interested service vendors, to repair theproblem. For example, while driving the vehicle, a display panel in thevehicle may indicate some abnormal condition to the operator, who canthen electronically transmit that information to the remote monitoringservice. Such observations or requests can be submitted by telephone orthrough a data link connection to the remote monitoring service. Thus,the data submitted to the remote monitoring service need not be limitedto that automatically produced and transmitted by the vehicle systemwithout input by the operator. It should be recognized that such aportable data collection device can also be used in embodiments where nomonitoring service is used, and data from the handheld portable datacollection device is conveyed to the pricing service provider, toprovide the pricing service provider with details about the vehicleservice to be priced.

In a block 14, if the vehicle data does not already indicate the natureof the problem requiring service or repair, a processor at the remotemonitoring service location is used to analyze the performance data todetermine if a mechanical fault has been detected. This analysis isongoing, as performance data from the vehicle is conveyed to the remotemonitoring service in ongoing data transmissions. In an optional block16, the processor at the monitoring service (i.e., the remote location)may request additional data from the vehicle to facilitate the analysisor to confirm a diagnosis. For example, changes in the vehicleperformance data over time may indicate that a mechanical fault isdeveloping, and certain additional types of performance data wouldenable a conclusive diagnosis to be achieved. It is again noted thatduring operation of the vehicle, or during routine inspections, or whilesimply being near the vehicle, defects or the need for repair ormaintenance of the vehicle can also be determined by visual inspectionor other perception, e.g., by the operator of the vehicle whileoperating the vehicle, and the data provided by these visual and othertypes of observations can be included with the vehicle location (fromGPS) as well as data generated by the vehicle computer(s) for purposesof determining that a mechanical fault or problem requires attention andpossible repair, either by the vehicle or by the remote monitoringservice. In embodiments where the monitoring service and the pricingservice provider are separate entities, upon identifying a fault (eithera fault that has actually occurred or a fault that the data analysispredicts will occur), the monitoring service can convey a servicerequest to the pricing service provider, generally as discussed above.It should also be understood that in some embodiments encompassed by theconcepts disclosed herein, the diagnostic analysis of vehicleperformance data can also be implemented by the pricing serviceprovider, and/or service vendors.

Once a mechanical fault has been identified by a monitoring service (ora request from a consumer to automatically solicit repair quotes or bidsfrom interested service vendors), in a block 18, the monitoring service(or another third party vendor, such as a pricing service provider,where the monitoring service and pricing service provider are not thesame entity) contacts a plurality of providers of vehicle repairservices and requests bids (or non-binding or binding quotes) for therequired repair. It should be noted that this task may be carried out bya different entity than the one monitoring the conditions in thevehicles. In at least one embodiment, the bids are requested in areverse auction style format, where the vehicle repair providers bid onthe job. The vendor then makes the diagnosis and the reverse auction bidresults available to the vehicle operator, as indicated in a block 20.In an optional block 22, the monitoring service schedules the repair.The logic then returns to a block 12, where additional performance datais received from the vehicle, and monitoring of the performance data foradditional mechanical faults continues.

It should be recognized that the term “performance data” is intended toencompass data collected at the vehicle that can be used by a computingdevice to identify a mechanical fault. Such data can include fault codedata, data from dedicated sensors added to the vehicle to aid indiagnosing a mechanical fault, and operational data. As noted above,“operational data” encompasses data that is used to control theoperation of the vehicle. In the prior art, operational data is notstored, but rather generated, contemporaneously, used as necessary tocontrol various vehicular systems (such as a fuel injection system, acooling system, or a braking system), and then discarded. Exemplaryoperational data include, but is not limited to, engine coolanttemperature, engine speed, oxygen levels, throttle position, braketemperature, vehicle speed, brake position, and gearbox parameters. Muchof this data is collected very frequently, some types of operationaldata being collected multiple times per second. The sheer quantity ofoperational data being generated makes storing or archiving all of suchoperational data problematical. Due to the volume of operational datagenerated in the course of vehicle operations, it is problematical toconvey all operational data generated by the vehicle to a remotemonitoring service. The concepts disclosed herein encompass severalstrategies for managing the task of reducing a quantity of performancedata generated by the vehicle and conveyed to the remote monitoringservice. In addition, the present approach encompasses both the manuallycollected information provided, for example, by an operator, and theautomatically generated data produced by the vehicle's computerizedsystem.

In at least one embodiment, a data buffer is added to the vehicle totemporarily store operational data, such that when a fault code isgenerated at the vehicle, the fault code data and at least some of thebuffered operational data are conveyed to the remote monitoring service.Thus, rather than transmitting all of the operational data generated bya vehicle to the remote monitoring service, only operational data linkedto a fault code event is transmitted.

In at least some embodiments involving a monitoring service, in additionto or instead of linking operational data to fault code events,different types of performance data are conveyed to the remotemonitoring service during different transmissions. For example, injectordata can be included in a first transmission, oxygen sensor data can beincluded in a second transmission, brake sensor data can be included ina third transmission, and so on until many different types ofperformance data are conveyed to the remote server over time. Thequantity of performance data conveyed during each different datatransmission can be selected to match a desired bandwidth. Where datatransmission costs are relatively higher, relatively less performancedata can be sent during each different data transmission. Where datatransmission costs are relatively lower, relatively more performancedata can be sent during each different data transmission. Depending on adesired quantity of data to transmit to the remote monitoring serviceduring each different transmission, more than one type of performancedata can be conveyed in the same transmission (i.e., injector data plusbrake data, or some other combination). Generally, the amount of datatransmitted during each transmission will be relatively small, e.g.,less than a kilobyte (or in some embodiments, multiple kilobytes, butless than hundreds of kilobytes, though it should be understood thatsuch data volumes are exemplary, and not limiting). By sending differenttypes of performance data to the monitoring service at different times(i.e., in different transmissions), the monitoring service can build adatabase of vehicle performance data over time and still receive a verymanageable volume of data during each data transmission. In embodimentswhere the monitoring function is ongoing over an extended period,sufficient data can be acquired to enable the monitoring service todetect changes in the performance data indicative of a developing orworsening mechanical fault. If trying to perform a diagnosis at just onepoint in time (i.e., in response to just a single transmission ofvehicle performance data), it might be necessary to include as much dataas possible in that one transmission. In embodiments where themonitoring service collects performance data from a vehicle over anextended period of time, transmission of smaller data sets isacceptable. Where different types of performance data are transmitted tothe remote monitoring service at different times, in at least oneembodiment, one or more types of operational data are pulled from a databus (i.e., operational data currently being generated by the vehicle areacquired) in the vehicle at the time of the data transmission to theremote monitoring service.

Where different types of vehicle performance data are sent in differentdata transmissions, many different possibilities exist for selectingdata to include in each transmission. Of course, the operator providedinput can be sent when the operator desires, or alternatively, can beincluded with the next transmission of the data automatically providedby the vehicle system. The selection of the data provided by anautomated system can be based on a predefined schedule, or can bemanually selected if the operator wants to expedite input of a specifictype of data, or wants to prioritize the type of data transmitted mostoften. Once each different data type has been transmitted at least once,the schedule can be repeated in the same sequence (i.e., data types A,B, and C are sent in sequence A-B-C, repeatedly), or the sequence can bevaried (i.e., data types A, B, and C are sent in sequence A-B-Cinitially, and then in a different order in a subsequent sequence oftransmissions). The selection of data for a specific transmission can beperformed at random, and over an extended period of time performancedata from all different categories are likely to be received by theremote monitoring service.

Several techniques can be used to control the timing between differentdata transmissions from the vehicle to the remote monitoring service. Inat least some embodiments, the time period between subsequent datatransmissions is based on a predetermined time interval (for example, anew data transmission can be executed at hourly intervals (or beexecuted based on a larger or a smaller fixed time period)). In at leastsome embodiments, the time period between subsequent data transmissionsis based on a randomly determined time interval (for example, the timeperiod between subsequently data transmissions can be randomly varied).Such random variations can be controlled as desired. For example, insome embodiments there will be a fixed number of data transmissions overa predefined time period (for example, four data transmissions per eachhour of vehicle operation), but the intervals between subsequent datatransmissions can be randomly varied. In at least some embodiments, thetime period between subsequent data transmissions is based on apredetermined event. For example, in some embodiments a different datatransmission is executed whenever a particular event occurs. Exemplaryevents include, but are not limited to, powering up the vehicle,powering off the vehicle, the generation of a fault code in the vehicle,a measured vehicle parameter exceeds or falls below a predeterminedvalue (i.e., engine temperature exceeds a predetermined value, oilpressure exceeds a predetermined value, oil pressure drops below apredetermined value, etc.). In at least some embodiments, the vehicle isequipped with a position sensing system that is configured to conveyposition data to a remote computer device according to either apredefined schedule (i.e., every five minutes, such a time intervalbeing exemplary and not limiting) or when a predefined event occurs(i.e., the vehicle heading changes by a certain extent, such an eventbeing exemplary and not limiting). In such embodiments, each timeposition data is transmitted from the vehicle to a remote computingdevice, performance data is included in the same transmission (in suchan embodiment, the monitoring service tracks vehicle performance dataand position data for the operator of the vehicle).

The vehicle position data can be used by the vehicle monitoring service(or a third party, such as the pricing service provider discussed above,in embodiments where the monitoring service and the pricing serviceprovider are separate entities) to select service vendors that will becontacted to get prices for the required repair. In at least oneembodiment, the vehicle monitoring service monitors vehicles over arelatively large geographical range (i.e., regionally or nationally),and will have prescreened or otherwise qualified many different servicevendors. The pool of vendors can be narrowed based on the location ofthe vehicle as indicated by the current vehicle position data, or bydata provided by the vehicle operator about an intended destination ofthe vehicle—as appropriate for the type and importance of the repairrequired. The service vendors automatically contacted to solicit quotesor bids can also be limited to those specializing in the specific typeof repair required. For example, if the required repair is for anexhaust system, bids or quotes for repairing an exhaust system problemon the vehicle may be limited only to those vendors specializing in thattype of repair work. Where an identified mechanical fault needs to berepaired immediately to prevent damage to the vehicle or to address anunsafe or legally non-compliant operating condition, the vehiclemonitoring service can use the vehicle's current location as the basisfor selecting from which service vendors repair quotes (or reverseauction bids) should be solicited (i.e., providers of vehicle repairservices who are located beyond a predefined distance are not allowed tobid in the reverse auction, or are not contacted by the monitoringservice (or the third party) for a repair quote). In at least oneembodiment, vehicle operators can define, or redefine, the predefineddistance about a desired location from which to solicit bids for therepair job. Note that enabling the consumer to define a preferredgeographical location for service vendors is a functionality that can beimplemented into each of the embodiments encompassed in FIGS. 1A and 1B(which illustrate different inputs that can be received by the pricingservice provider).

Where the identified mechanical fault does not need to be repairedimmediately, the vehicle monitoring service can contact the vehicleoperator before obtaining repair costs from service vendors (or beforerequesting the pricing service provider to obtain price quotes, inembodiments where the pricing service provider and the monitoringservice are different entities), to enable the vehicle operator todefine the appropriate repair location. In an alternative embodiment,vehicle operators can affirmatively provide the monitoring service (orthe pricing service provider) with the vehicle's scheduled route, suchthat the monitoring service (or the pricing service provider) cansolicit service vendors based on the scheduled route. For example, thescheduled route may indicate that a first stop must be made in Seattle,Wash. by a specific time and date, a second stop must be made toPortland, Oreg. by a specific time and date, and no additional stop iscurrently scheduled. Based on the distances involved and the scheduledtimes, as well as the time-criticality of the required repair, themonitoring service (or the pricing service provider) can determine ifthere is time to perform the repair in Seattle (or some location betweenSeattle and Portland) before the stop in Portland is scheduled. If thereis sufficient time between the scheduled deliveries, the monitoringservice (or the pricing service provider) can solicit repair quotes fromvendors in the Seattle area, or service vendors along the Seattle toPortland corridor. If there is not sufficient time between the scheduleddeliveries, the monitoring service can solicit repair quotes fromvendors in the Portland area only. Once the bids (in a reverse auction)or quotes have been obtained from the service vendors, the operator canmake a selection of the service vendor to carry out the repair work. Theselected service vendor may not be the lowest bid or quote to do thework, since the operator may include other factors besides the cost bidor quote in making this selection. For example, the second lowest quotemay be from a service vendor having a business located closer to thelocation where the repair is desired (or the current location—if repairis required immediately). Or, the selected vendor may be chosen by theoperator based on the reputation of the vendor or based on the indicatedtime delay before the repair work can be started by the vendor.

In general, the analysis of the performance data will be carried out bya remote computing device (i.e., remote from the vehicles enrolled inthe monitoring service) operated by the monitoring service vendor,unless the nature of the required repair has already been determined bythe operator input data or by the computing system on the vehicle. Theremote computing device performing the monitoring function in at leastone embodiment comprises a computing system controlled by the operatorof the vehicle (i.e., the monitoring service is operated by the vehicleowner, who may operate of a fleet of vehicles), while in other exemplaryembodiments, the computing system performing the monitoring function iscontrolled by an independent party or vendor who manages themonitoring/diagnostic service for the operators of the enrolled vehicles(in some embodiments, the vehicle monitoring service bills the vehicleoperators a subscription fee). The remote computing device can beoperating in a networked environment and can comprise multiple computingdevices that may be disposed at disparate geographical locations or at asingle location. In at least one embodiment, the monitoring serviceprovides sufficient data to the repair vendors that such data can beinput into a diagnostic software application known to the repair vendor,so the repair vendor can confirm the diagnosis, or derive their owndiagnosis independent of the monitoring service.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary computing system 250suitable for use in implementing the method of FIG. 1F (i.e., forexecuting at least blocks 14-20 of FIG. 1F, noting that such a computingdevice can also be employed to implement the functions of the methods ofFIGS. 1C-1E). Similar components might be used in a data terminal withina vehicle to enable the operator to input information related to thestatus of the vehicle or components on the vehicle, so that theinformation can be transmitted to the remote monitoring vendor.Exemplary computing system 250 includes a processing unit 254 that isfunctionally coupled to an input device 252 and to an output device 262,e.g., a display (which can be used to output a result to a user,although such a result can also be stored). Processing unit 254comprises, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 258 thatexecutes machine instructions for carrying out an analysis ofperformance data (and in some embodiments, of position data) collectedfrom enrolled vehicles, to identify mechanical faults in the enrolledvehicles. The machine instructions implement functions generallyconsistent with those described above with respect to blocks 14-20 ofFIG. 1F. CPUs suitable for this purpose are available, for example, fromIntel Corporation, AMD Corporation, Motorola Corporation, and othersources, as will be well known to those of ordinary skill in this art.

Also included in processing unit 254 are a random access memory (RAM)256 and non-volatile memory 260, which can include read only memory(ROM) and may include some form of memory storage, such as a hard drive,optical disk (and drive), etc. These memory devices are bi-directionallycoupled to CPU 258. Such storage devices are well known in the art.Machine instructions and data are temporarily loaded into RAM 256 fromnon-volatile memory 260. Also stored in the non-volatile memory areoperating system software and ancillary software. While not separatelyshown, it will be understood that a generally conventional power supplywill be included to provide electrical power at voltage and currentlevels appropriate to energize computing system 250.

Input device 252 can be any device or mechanism that facilitates userinput into the operating environment, including, but not limited to, oneor more of a mouse or other pointing device, a keyboard, a microphone, amodem, or other input device. In general, the input device will be usedto initially configure computing system 250, to achieve the desiredprocessing (i.e., to monitor vehicle performance data over time todetect a mechanical fault). Configuration of computing system 250 toachieve the desired processing includes the steps of loading appropriateprocessing software into non-volatile memory 260, and launching theprocessing application (e.g., loading the processing software into RAM256 for execution by the CPU) so that the processing application isready for use. Output device 262 generally includes any device thatproduces output information, but will most typically comprise a monitoror computer display designed for human visual perception of output. Useof a conventional computer keyboard for input device 252 and a computerdisplay for output device 262 should be considered as exemplary, ratherthan as limiting on the scope of this system. Data link 264 isconfigured to enable vehicle performance data (and position data whendesired) collected in connection with operation of enrolled vehicles tobe input into computing system 250 for analysis to identify a mechanicalfault with the vehicle. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that many types of data links can be implemented, including,but not limited to, universal serial bus (USB) ports, parallel ports,serial ports, inputs configured to couple with portable memory storagedevices, FireWire ports, infrared data ports, wireless datacommunication such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth™, network connections viaEthernet ports, and other connections that employ the Internet. Notethat vehicle performance data from the enrolled vehicles will becommunicated wirelessly, either directly to the remote computing systemthat analyzes the data to diagnose the anomaly, or to some storagelocation or other computing system that is linked to computing system250.

It should be understood that the term “remote computer” and the term“remote computing device” are intended to encompass a single computer aswell as networked computers, including servers and clients, in privatenetworks or as part of the Internet. The vehicle data received by themonitoring service from the vehicle can be stored by one element in sucha network, retrieved for review by another element in the network, andanalyzed by yet another element in the network. In at least oneembodiment, a vendor is responsible for diagnosing the vehicle data, andclients of the vendor are able to access and review such data, as wellas any resulting diagnoses. While implementation of the method notedabove has been discussed in terms of execution of machine instructionsby a processor (i.e., the computing device implementing machineinstructions to implement the specific functions noted above), themethod could also be implemented using a custom circuit (such as anapplication specific integrated circuit or ASIC).

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of exemplary components used invehicles 28 that are enrolled in the vehicle diagnostic service, toimplement some of the method steps shown in FIG. 1F. An exemplaryvehicle monitoring service is based on adding an optional data buffer 36(or other short-term memory storage) and a bi-directional data link 34to each enrolled vehicle (in an exemplary, but not limiting embodiment,the data buffer and data link are combined into a single component). Itshould be understood that the short term memory storage is not requiredfor embodiments where the performance data transmitted from the enrolledvehicle does not include operational data that must be briefly stored.In an exemplary embodiment, the data link is a combination radiofrequency (RF) transmitter and receiver, although separate transmittersand receivers could be used. A data terminal can also be included in thevehicle to facilitate operator entry of information and operatortransmission of information that is presented to the operator on adisplay within the vehicle. The data collected on the portable datacollection device during an inspection can also be uploaded through sucha data terminal, or independently by direct transmission to the remotemonitoring service. While RF data transmission represents an exemplaryembodiment, other types of data transmission could be employed. If thevehicle does not already include performance data/operational datacollecting components 30, such components are added. As discussed above,most vehicles manufactured today include such operational datacollecting components already, as many of today's vehicles are designedto use such continuously generated operational data to control operationof the vehicle in real-time, and such vehicles generally include datacollecting components, data buses, and controllers that use theoperational data to control the operation of the vehicle. The vehicleincludes at least one processor 32 that performs the function ofmanaging the transmission of performance data from the vehicle to theremote monitoring service, according to one or more of the transmissionparadigms discussed herein. In embodiments where the performance dataincludes temporary storage of operational data, the processor alsoimplements the function of temporarily storing operational data fromcomponents 30 in data buffer 36 or other temporary storage, detecting ananomalous condition (or predefined condition) in the vehicle, and inresponse to detecting such an anomaly, using bi-directional data link 34to convey real-time anomaly data and the buffered operational data fromthe enrolled vehicle to a remote computing device 40 (which is used todetermine or diagnose a cause for the detected anomaly). It should beunderstood that those processor functions can be implemented by a singleprocessor, or distributed across multiple processors.

Although the preceding discussion focuses on automated data collectionof data collected from a vehicle sensor and monitoring system, it shouldbe emphasized that the present approach can be implemented byelectronically transmitting manually collected information to the remotemonitoring service to initiate determination of the specific type ofrepair problem, as necessary, and to solicit bids from repair serviceproviders to implement the repair or service of the vehicle that isrequired. The electronically initiated solicitation of such bids, forexample, in a reverse auction, will enable the operator of the vehicleto select the repair service vendor to do the work from among a broaderlisting of interested repair service vendors and taking intoconsideration the costs that will be charged by each interested repairservice vendor entering a bid to do the work.

In some embodiments, an output 38 is also included, to providemechanical fault/diagnostic related information to the driver in a formthat can be easily understood by the driver. Output 38 can beimplemented using one or more lights (for example, a red light can beused to indicate that a problem has been detected which requires theoperator to stop the vehicle, or to modify vehicle operations, such asby slowing down to reduce a load being placed on the vehicle until arepair can be made), using a speaker providing an audible output, andusing a display providing a visual output. Note that output 38 can becombined into a single component with the data buffer and the data link,so only a single additional component is added to the vehicle(recognizing that most vehicles already include the additional requiredcomponents, such as the operational data collecting components and theprocessor).

As indicated in FIG. 3, remote computing device 40 (operated by themonitoring service) is logically coupled via a network 42 (such as theInternet) to a computing device 44 accessible to a vehicle repairservice vendor (noting only one such vendor is shown in the Figure;however, the monitoring service (or a third party) will be exchangingdata with a plurality of different service vendors, each likely havingaccess to a different computing device 44), and a computing device 46accessible to a vehicle operator (noting that in at least someembodiments, the monitoring service performs the monitoring function fora plurality of different vehicle operators). Network 42 facilitatescommunication between computing devices 40, 44, and 46, enabling themonitoring service (and a third party who may be employed to solicit thebids from the service vendors) to efficiently communicate with servicevendors and vehicle operators.

The concepts disclosed herein are in at least some embodiments intendedto be used by fleet owners operating multiple vehicles, and theperformance data conveyed to the remote location for diagnosis willinclude an ID component that enables each enrolled vehicle to beuniquely identified. The concepts disclosed herein are also applicableto individual consumers, who desire to employ the pricing serviceprovider discussed herein to obtain pricing (in some embodiments, via areverse auction) from a plurality of service vendors who can service theconsumer's vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of various elements that can beemployed to implement the method steps of FIG. 1F. The elements includesa plurality of enrolled vehicles 48 a-48 c (noting that the conceptsdisclosed herein can be applied to a different number of vehicles), aplurality of repair (or service) vendors 52 a-52 c (noting that theconcepts disclosed herein can be applied to a different number ofservice vendors), a plurality of vehicle operators 56 a-56 c (notingthat the concepts disclosed herein can be applied to a different numberof vehicle operators), and a remote monitoring service 50. Each vehicleincludes the components discussed above in connection with FIG. 3,enabling the vehicle to convey performance data from the vehicle toremote monitoring service 50, which monitors the performance data fromeach vehicle 48 a-48 c over time to identify any mechanical fault in thevehicle. When such a mechanical fault is identified, remote monitoringservice 50 contacts repair vendors 52 a-52 c to obtain repair costs tofix the mechanical fault that was detected by monitoring the vehicleperformance data (or identified by the vehicle operator via aninspection of the vehicle, or via an in-vehicle identification of afault). In an exemplary embodiment monitoring service 50 generates awebpage (as indicated by webpages 54 a-54 c) for each vehicle in which amechanical fault is detected, and that webpage is made available to thecorresponding vehicle operator. It should be understand that othertechniques, such as email, automated phone calls, and text messaging canalso be used by monitoring service 50, in addition to or instead ofwebpages, to inform vehicle operators of identified mechanical faultsand repair options. It should be recognized that certain vehicleoperators may have a plurality of vehicles enrolled in the vehiclemonitoring program, thus FIG. 4 should not be interpreted that theremust be a 1:1 correspondence between the number of enrolled vehicles andthe number of vehicle operators (or a 1:1 correspondence between thenumber of enrolled vehicles and the number of repair vendors).

It should be understood that monitoring service 50 is implemented usinga remote computing device, and that the term remote computing device isintended to encompass networked computers, including servers andclients, in private networks or as part of the Internet. The monitoringof the vehicle performance data by monitoring service 50 can beperformed by multiple different computing devices, such that performancedata is stored by one element in such a network, retrieved for review byanother element in the network, and analyzed by yet another element inthe network.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, vehicle operators can establishstandards that the monitoring service uses to select repair vendors forproviding pricing data. For example, a first vehicle operator may onlywant price quotes from service vendors having a specific level ofinsurance, or who exceed a specific size, or who are part of a chain ofservice centers. A second vehicle operator may only want price quotesfrom service vendors whom they have pre-qualified. A third vehicleoperator may place no restrictions on the repair vendors the monitoringservice approaches for pricing data.

In at least one embodiment, the diagnostic/monitoring function performedby the monitoring service involves comparing the performance data fromthe vehicle with historical data linked to a specific fault condition.This comparison can involve vehicle parameters extending beyond thecollected performance data, which is broadly referred to herein as“contextual data.” Such vehicle parameters include, but are not limitedto, the VIN #, the firmware data used on the vehicle data system, theyear, make and model of the vehicle, the engine employed in the vehicle,the transmission employed in the vehicle, and additional equipmentemployed on or added to the vehicle to customize the vehicle to theoperator's needs. This additional data can help increase the accuracy ofthe diagnostic aspect of the monitoring service and better determine theparts required and the cost to repair the vehicle, because thehistorical data records may indicate that a particular set ofperformance data from one make and model of a vehicle having a specificequipment configuration was associated with a first mechanical fault,while a similar set of performance data from a differently equippedvehicle (either a different make and model, or a similar make and modelwith different equipment) was associated with a different mechanicalfault. Analyzing the performance data in light of the make, model, andspecific equipment configuration of a vehicle, as well as any availablevehicle inspection data for the vehicle, can thus improve the accuracyof a diagnosis of a mechanical fault. This approach is often used fortroubleshooting vehicle problems, since the details of the vehicle andits configuration can directly impact on the results of thetroubleshooting process. It should be noted that the diagnostic functioncan also or alternatively be carried out by any of the repair vendorssolicited to quote or bid on the repair job, and the above-notedperformance data and contextual data can be supplied to each such vendorto enable them to be more confident that they are bidding or quoting onthe actual repair job that needs to be completed.

While FIG. 4 has been illustrated and discussed in terms of a singleentity implementing the functions of monitoring vehicle performance data(see block 204 of FIG. 1A) and acquiring pricing data from a pluralityof service vendors (see block 202 a of FIG. 1A), it should be recognizedthat FIG. 4 is also relevant to embodiments where reference numeral 50refers to a pricing service provider (which does not also perform amonitoring function), receiving inputs related to vehicle operators 56a-56 c. FIG. 1B schematically illustrates different types of inputs thatcan be received by a pricing service provider.

As noted above, once a fault has been identified, the monitoring servicecontacts repair vendors to get pricing data for the required repair (orcontacts a pricing service provider who in turn contacts the servicevendors, in embodiments where the monitoring service and the pricingservice provider are separate entities). To encourage repair vendors toprovide their best pricing, in at least one embodiment, the monitoringservice/pricing service provider arranges a reverse auction, whereselected repair vendors competitively provide their best price in areverse auction format (i.e., the repair vendors bid against each other,and are able to see each other's bids, which encourages the repairvendors to lower their prices on successive bids to compete against oneanother for the repair job). FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot of awebpage accessed by a vehicle operator to review the results of areverse auction for a specific vehicle. A webpage 100 includes a firstportion 102 that enables a vehicle operator having a plurality ofvehicles to select a specific vehicle. It should be understood thatwebpage 100 can be unique to only one vehicle, such that portion 102 isnot required. Webpage 100 also includes a results section 104, wheredetails of the detected mechanical fault and results from the reverseauction are displayed. It should be understood that the details of thedetected mechanical fault and results from the reverse auction can bedisplayed on different portions of the webpage, or on different webpagesand/or different websites, instead of together. Further, if desired,details on the mechanical fault can be omitted (or can be viewed on aseparate webpage), although users will likely find the inclusion of suchdata to be useful. Webpage 100 also includes a map section 106, wherethe locations of the repair vendors relative to the vehicle location (atthe current time or at the time that the vehicle will be available to berepaired) can be viewed. If desired, map section 106 can be omitted, orcan be displayed on a separate webpage.

Referring to first portion 102, an operator of multiple vehicles hasselected vehicle ZONA0047 (noting that any type of vehicleidentification can be employed), such that the data displayed in resultssection 104 and map section 106 relate to vehicle ZONA0047. As shown inFIG. 5, results section 104 includes results from three different repairvendors. It should be recognized that the specific number of repairvendors displayed here can, and likely will vary, based on the number ofrepair vendors that respond to the solicitation from the monitoringservice (or the third party who is responsible for soliciting bids). Ifdesired, the webpage can limit the results to the best pricing received(or a range of prices), or all of the results can be made available tothe vehicle operator. While the monitoring service will endeavor toprovide a plurality of repair options to the vehicle operator, based onthe vehicle operator's restrictions on repair vendors, or the locationof the vehicle (i.e., a remote area where few repair vendors arelocated), in some circumstances there may be only one repair optionavailable, and in extreme circumstances—none.

Referring to results section 104, exemplary (but not limiting)information displayed herein includes details on the identifiedmechanical fault (in this example, the mechanical fault is a defectivefuel injector), an estimated amount of time required for the repair(most vendors use standardized tables/databases to determine the timerequired for repairs, or such information can be obtained by using adiagnostic application employed by the monitoring service or theindividual repair vendor), the pricing data for each repair vendor (asillustrated, such pricing data is broken out by labor and parts,although it should be understood that the pricing data can simply beprovided as a total price), the name and address of each repair vendor,the availability of the repair vendor (Vendor 1, Brett's Truck Repair,has a 1 day wait for the repair, while Vendor 2, Bill's Diesel Service,can perform the repair immediately), a distance between the vehicle andthe repair vendor, and a performance rating (wrench icons 108 a-108 c)for each repair vendor (where a greater number of wrench icons or othertype of graphic device indicates a better performance rating,recognizing that while only full icons are displayed in this example,partial wrench icons can be used as well, to provide fractionalratings). Radio buttons 110 a-c can be used by the vehicle operator toselect the repair vendor who should perform the repair work. In at leastone embodiment, the performance ratings are based on work performed bythe vendor in connection with a previous repair brokered by themonitoring service, while in at least one embodiment the rankings arebased on (or include) performance ratings obtained from a search(performed by the monitoring service) of public comments posted on theInternet about particular vendors.

With respect to webpage 100, it should be understood that the design ofwebpage 100 is intended to be exemplary, and different webpage designscan be employed, and further, that the data on webpage 100 can beprovided to the vehicle operator on more than one webpage. If desired,access to webpage 100 can be restricted only to the monitoring serviceand vehicle operator. However, providing repair vendors access towebpage 100 will enable the repair vendors to see competing bids,encouraging repair vendors to reduce their bids during the reverseauction to provide the best price to the vehicle operator. It shouldalso be understood that a different webpage could be generated for useduring the reverse auction, such that webpage 100 need not be accessibleby the repair vendors.

Note that the exemplary webpage of FIG. 5, the service vendors inresults section 104 are identified by name, address, and telephonenumber. It should be recognized that the concepts disclosed herein alsoencompass embodiments in which one or more of the service vendor's name,address, and telephone number (or other information that can be used touniquely identify the service vendor) is withheld from the consumer, inorder to make it difficult for the consumer to arrange for servicedirectly with the service vendor, and bypass the pricing serviceprovider. Such an embodiment will be important to pricing serviceproviders who charge either the consumer or the service vendor a fee forfacilitating the transaction. Once the fee earned by the pricing serviceprovider has been paid, then the service vendor's identificationinformation will be provided.

FIG. 6 is a high level logic diagram showing exemplary overall methodsteps implemented in accord with the concepts disclosed herein to host areverse auction for a diagnosed repair to a vehicle. This process isimplemented after the monitoring service (or the vehicle system orvehicle operator) identifies a mechanical fault in a vehicle (i.e., FIG.6 corresponds to block 18 in FIG. 1F). Note a reverse auction can alsobe implemented when a pricing service provider receives one or more ofthe inputs identified in FIG. 1B, such as a consumer determining thattheir vehicle needs new tires. In a block 120, the monitoring service(when the pricing service provider and monitoring service are the sameentity) or the pricing service provider (i.e., the remote computingdevice operated by the monitoring service or by the pricing serviceprovider) selects a plurality of service vendors from which pricing datawill be solicited. The selection process can be based on a number offactors, including but not limited to the location of the servicevendor, and restrictions on service vendors defined by the consumer. Ina block 122, the monitoring service (when the pricing service providerand monitoring service are the same entity) or the pricing serviceprovider (i.e., the remote computing device operated by the monitoringservice or by the pricing service provider) defines parameters of thereverse auction. Those parameters will include the identity of themechanical fault that needs to be repaired (or a well defined servicerequest, or a poorly defined service request and vehicle performancedata that can be used to diagnose the required service, generally asdiscussed above with respect to the inputs of FIG. 1B) the desiredservice, and the time period of the reverse auction. Where the repair isnot time critical, a relatively longer reverse auction may enable thevehicle operator to receive better pricing. However, in some cases, timewill be of the essence, and the timeline of the reverse auction will berelatively short, so the repair can be effected promptly. In at leastsome embodiments, the parameters may include data enabling individualservice vendors to perform their own diagnosis based on data provided bythe monitoring service.

In a block 124, the monitoring service (when the pricing serviceprovider and monitoring service are the same entity) or the pricingservice provider (i.e., the remote computing device operated by themonitoring service or by the pricing service provider) sends theparameters of the reverse auction to the selected vendors. In anexemplary but not limiting embodiment, this step is implemented usingemail, but other approaches might instead be used, such as an RSSmessage or a social network transmission. In a block 126, the monitoringservice (when the pricing service provider and monitoring service arethe same entity) or the pricing service provider (i.e., the remotecomputing device operated by the monitoring service or by the pricingservice provider) hosts the reverse auction for the defined time period.During the defined auction time period, service vendors can visit awebsite operated by the monitoring service and place their bid on therequired repair. In at least one exemplary, but not limiting embodiment,service vendors are allowed to reduce their bid amount during theauction, in response to bids placed by other service vendors. In anexemplary but not limiting embodiment, in addition to providing pricingdata, service vendors will include in their bid a commitment of when therepair work can be started (and/or completed), which will enable thevehicle operator to select a service vendor with a slightly higher pricewho can complete a repair immediately, over the lowest priced vendor whocannot perform the repair immediately. In a block 128, the diagnosisdata and the reverse auction results are conveyed to the vehicle owner,for example, by at least one of text message, email, and an automatedtelephone call (i.e., a robocall). If desired, the vehicle operator orconsumer can be contacted when the reverse auction begins, and can beallowed access to the website where the reverse auction is being hosted,so the vehicle operator can monitor the progress of the reverse auction.

In at least one embodiment, the monitoring service or pricing serviceprovider will use a well known or trusted diagnostic softwareapplication to perform the diagnosis, or to verify a diagnosis. The useof such a well known or trusted diagnostic software application willlikely encourage repair vendors to provide better pricing. Vendors suchas Navistar, Detroit Diesel, and Snap-on Tools offer such diagnosticsoftware applications. In a related embodiment, the monitoring service(when the pricing service provider and monitoring service are the sameentity) or the pricing service provider, will, in lieu of or in additionto performing a diagnosis, send vehicle data to the repair vendors, sothe repair vendors can perform their own diagnosis using a diagnosticsoftware application of their own choosing. In embodiments wherein therepair vendors perform their own diagnosis, the monitoring service (whenthe pricing service provider and monitoring service are the same entity)or the pricing service provider will determine that requesting pricingfrom service vendors is warranted based on at least one of thefollowing: the generation of a fault code in the vehicle, the activationof a warning light in the vehicle, the detection by the monitoringservice of an anomaly in vehicle data conveyed from the vehicle to themonitoring service, and the diagnosis of a fault by the monitoringservice using vehicle data conveyed from the vehicle to the monitoringservice.

As discussed above, operational data represents one type of performancedata that can be conveyed to the remote monitoring service. As notedabove, a majority of vehicles manufactured today already includecomponents to collect operational data during operation of the vehicle.Such data is used during operation of the vehicle, to provide feedbackto control many vehicle systems, including but not limited to enginefuel supply components, vehicle braking components, vehicle coolingcomponents, and vehicle transmission components. Conventionally, suchdata is generated, used by the vehicle immediately, and discarded. Inone aspect of the concepts disclosed herein, each time a datatransmission from the vehicle to the remote monitoring service occurs,at least a portion of the operational data currently generated by thevehicle is included in the data transmission (the amount of operationaldata available at any given time is likely too large to be transmittedin total, so some portion of the readily available operational data isselected, and the rest discarded as usual).

As noted above, enrolled vehicles can optionally include a data bufferor memory storage in which operational data is temporarily stored.Further modifications include configuring a processor in the vehicle toconvey detected vehicle anomalies (such as fault codes) and to define ananomaly both as the generation of a fault code, and when a measurablevehicle parameter (engine temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature,etc.) exceeds or falls below a predefined value. In addition to sendingperformance data to the remote monitoring service according to a datatransmission schedule, a vehicle processor can be configured to send adata transmission to the remote monitoring service whenever an anomalyis detected. Such a data transmission can include an identification ofthe anomaly (i.e., the fault code that was generated or the parameterthat exceeded or fell below the predefined value).

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the operational data and faultcode data are conveyed in real-time to the monitoring service, so that adiagnosis of a vehicle problem causing the generation of the fault codecan occur while the vehicle is operating. Rapid diagnosis of problemscan lead to the prevention of damage to the vehicle that might otherwisebe caused by continuing to operate the vehicle after a malfunction isdetected, where the diagnosis indicates that continued operation of thevehicle would result in such damage. In such circumstances, the driverof the vehicle can be contacted by telephone or other electronicmessaging service or data link to ensure that continued operation of thevehicle does not occur. If the diagnosed problem is relatively minor,the operator of the vehicle can be contacted with less urgency, toarrange for a repair when convenient. In an exemplary, but not limitingembodiment, where continued operation of the vehicle is not likely toresult in damage, the results of the vehicle diagnosis are forwarded tothe vehicle operator, results from the reverse auction for the requiredrepair are generated, service for the vehicle is scheduled, and partsrequired for the service are ordered, all while the vehicle continues tooperate.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, operational data is archivedwhenever a specific user defined operating parameter condition isdetected, i.e., an operating parameter above or below a predefinedlimit. In essence, this approach enables a user to define a custom faultcode library (it is recognized that prior art fault codes are tied tospecific operating parameters; however, prior art fault codes arepredefined at the vehicle manufacturer level, and are not usermodifiable or user defined). This concept is referred to herein as a“user defined fault code.” Such user defined fault codes can include anyuser defined single operational parameter level, or a combination ofuser defined operational parameter levels, that are different from thefault codes defined at the vehicle manufacturer level. In at least oneexemplary embodiment, systems implementing the concepts disclosed hereinare configured so that user defined fault codes can be defined andimplemented while the vehicle is operating. In at least one exemplaryembodiment, user defined fault codes are generated at a remote computingdevice attempting to acquire additional information to be used todiagnose a vehicle, where the user defined fault code is uniquelydefined based on archived operational data conveyed to the remotecomputing device while the vehicle is operating.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the operational data that istemporarily stored on the vehicle can include operational data that isautomatically broadcast by the vehicle while the vehicle is operating.In at least one exemplary embodiment, the temporarily stored operationaldata includes operational data that must be specifically requested. Inyet another exemplary embodiment, the temporarily stored operationaldata includes both operational data that is automatically broadcast bythe vehicle while the vehicle is operating and operational data thatmust be specifically requested. In general, operational data that mustbe requested is operational data that can be generated upon request(such as throttle position data), but is not data that is requiredduring normal vehicle operation.

FIG. 7 is another functional block diagram showing the components of avehicle diagnostic system in accord with the concepts disclosed herein,wherein the performance data includes temporarily stored operationaldata, and the data link and data buffer are combined into a singlecomponent to be added to a vehicle to enable the vehicle to participatein the diagnostic/monitoring program.

In the diagnostic system embodiment of FIG. 7, a system 62 includes avehicle 64 and a remote computing device 72 for performing diagnosticanalysis on data supplied by the vehicle over a wireless network 70. Thedata can be input by an operator or can be collected using the portabledata collection device as described above. Vehicle 64 can also include aplurality of components for collecting operational data, including abrake control unit 66 a, an engine control unit 66 b, and a transmissioncontrol unit 66 c, each of which transmit operational data along a databus 67. While only a single data bus is shown, it should be understoodthat multiple data buses could be employed. Further, a vehiclecontroller/processor, such as is shown in FIG. 3, is not illustrated inFIG. 7, but one or more such elements can be coupled to the data bus toreceive and use operational data generated by the vehicle. Vehicle 64also includes an add-on diagnostic unit 68, which combines a datatemporary storage, a data link, and a processor.

Diagnostic unit 68 conveys diagnostic logs 76 from vehicle 64 to remotecomputer 72 via wireless network 70, generally as discussed above.Diagnostic logs 76 include an identified anomaly (such as a fault code)and data temporarily stored in the memory storage of diagnostic unit 68.Remote computer 72 analyzes the diagnostic logs to determine a cause ofthe anomaly. Remote computer 72 conveys data 74 (which includes one ormore of configuration data and diagnostic data) to diagnostic device 68via the wireless network. The configuration data is used to modify thefunctions implemented by the processor in diagnostic unit 68.Modifications include, but are not limited to, changing the amount ofoperational data to be temporarily stored in the data memory storage,changing an amount of operational data collected before an anomaly isconveyed to the remote computing device, changing an amount ofoperational data collected after an anomaly is conveyed to the remotecomputing device, changing a type of operational data conveyed to theremote computing device (this enables the remote computing device torequest specific types of operational data after a diagnostic log hasbeen received, to facilitate diagnosing the anomaly), and changing adefinition of what constitutes an anomaly. The diagnostic data includesdata conveyed to the operator of the vehicle, informing the operator ofany actions that the operator needs to take in response to thediagnosis. Such diagnostic data can include instructions to ceasevehicle operation as soon as possible to avoid unsafe or damagingconditions, instructions to proceed to a designated repair facilityselected by the operator as a result of the reverse auction, and/orinstructions to proceed with a scheduled route, and to wait to repairthe vehicle at a point along the route or after the route is complete.

In an exemplary embodiment, diagnostic device 68 is implemented by usinga hardware device permanently or temporarily installed onboard mediumand heavy duty (Class 5-8) vehicles, energized by onboard vehicleelectrical power systems, and connected to the in-vehicle diagnosticdata communications network, which is capable of collecting diagnosticdata from the vehicle data communications network and sending it to aremote server. The specific information to be acquired from the vehiclecommunications data link is remotely configurable. The specific datamessages that trigger a data collection event are also remotelyconfigurable. Data transmission from the vehicle includes a wirelessinterface between the vehicle and the remote server, such as via acellular modem or other wireless data transmission network. Datareceived at the remote server may then be forwarded to any defined setof consumers for the diagnostic information to be remotely analyzed andacted upon.

The components of system 62 include the hardware device used toimplement diagnostic device 68, hardware programming (firmware), thewireless network, and the remote computing device (such as a computerserver/data center). System 62 operates by using the remote computingdevice to transmit programming/configuration data to the in-vehicledevice (i.e., diagnostic device 68) via the wireless network. Duringvehicle operation, the diagnostic data device stores operational datathat is included with all diagnostic log events (i.e., with each faultcode or detected anomaly). In an exemplary but not limiting embodiment,the diagnostic log conveyed to the remote computing device from thevehicle includes data such as a diagnostic log file revision, adiagnostic log file type, a device ID, a configured time intervaldefining the extent of the temporarily stored operational data, and thenumber of parameters to be stored in the diagnostic log files. Thediagnostic data device in the vehicle performs the functions of: storinga list of diagnostic parameters to be monitored and recorded from thevehicle data link at regular periodic intervals (or as otherwisedefined); storing a list of event parameters to trigger diagnostic datacapture; and storing a time interval for diagnostic parameter recording.In an exemplary but not limiting embodiment, the diagnostic data deviceis connected to an in-vehicle data link (e.g., a J1939 bus) and vehiclepower connections.

During vehicle operation, while the vehicle data link communication isactive, the diagnostic data device is continuously monitoring forspecific data messages configured to trigger the collection ofdiagnostic log files. Once diagnostic log files are recorded, they aretransmitted via the wireless network to the remote computing device.Diagnostic log files are moved from the data center server withinminutes to a destination server where the data may be analyzed and/ordistributed for further action.

In an exemplary, but not limiting embodiment, the diagnostic log sent tothe remote computing device includes one minute worth of operationaldata collected both before and after an anomalous event.

In an exemplary, but not limiting embodiment, the diagnostic device inthe vehicle can be remotely configured to redefine the parameters usedto generate a diagnostic log. The diagnostic log generated by thediagnostic device includes two primary components; at least some of theoperational data temporarily stored in the data memory storage, and datadefining the anomaly (in some embodiments, fault codes are used todefine the anomaly). The diagnostic device can be remotely reconfiguredto change an amount of buffered operational data acquired before theanomaly that is included in the diagnostic log. The diagnostic devicecan be remotely reconfigured to change an amount of temporarily storedoperational data acquired after the anomaly that is included in thediagnostic log. The diagnostic device can be remotely reconfigured tochange the type of operational data that is included in the diagnosticlog (in terms of FIG. 7, the diagnostic device can be remotelyreconfigured to selectively determine whether data from brake controlunit 66 a, data from engine control unit 66 b, and/or data fromtransmission control unit 66 c should be included in the diagnostic log,noting that such operational data generating components are exemplary,and not limiting). The diagnostic device can also be remotelyreconfigured to define what constitutes an anomaly that triggers sendinga diagnostic log to the remote computing device for diagnosis. Asdiscussed above, fault codes defined by the vehicle manufacturer can beconsidered to be anomalies that will trigger conveying a diagnostic logto the remote location. It should also be recognized that the conceptsdisclosed herein encompass enabling the diagnostic device to be remotelyreconfigured to define a single parameter or a set of parameters(different than the parameters used by manufacturers to define faultcodes) that will trigger the conveyance of diagnostic log to the remotelocation. For example, regardless of the parameters used to definepreset fault codes, the diagnostic device can be remotely reconfiguredto generate and convey a diagnostic log to the remote location inresponse to detecting any specified parameter or set parameters inregard to the value(s) of the parameters exceeding or falling belowpredefined level(s).

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a pricing service provider73, a consumer 71, and a plurality of service vendors 75 a-75 cinteracting over the Internet. FIG. 8 is related to FIG. 7, but FIG. 7is directed to a specific embodiment where the pricing service providerand a vehicle monitoring service are the same entity, whereas, FIG. 8 ismore generalized, and encompasses each of the inputs illustrated in FIG.1B. Referring to FIG. 8, consumer 71 (such as a fleet operator, amonitoring service, or a private vehicle owner) uses a wireless network70 (such as the Internet) to communicate a service request (either awell defined service request without vehicle performance data, or a lesswell defined service request with vehicle performance data enabling aservice diagnosis to be made by pricing service provider 73 and/orservice vendors 75 a-75 c) to pricing service provider 73, who in turnrequests pricing for the requested vehicle service from a plurality ofservice vendors 75 a-75 c (noting the number of service vendors in FIG.8 is exemplary, and not limiting). Once the pricing data has beenacquired, the pricing service provider communicates the pricing data tothe consumer, generally as discussed above.

As discussed above, the concepts disclosed herein specifically encompassenabling a consumer to access the pricing service provider using a handheld portable computing device, such as a smart phone. FIG. 9schematically illustrates an exemplary kit 230, designed to facilitatean interaction between a smart phone user and a pricing serviceprovider. Kit 230 includes a hardware interface 234 than enables thesmart phone user to extract vehicle performance data from the vehicleinto their smart phone as an electronic data file. As discussed above,the vehicle performance data can be used by the pricing serviceprovider, and/or service vendors to identify the service needs of thesmart phone user's vehicle. In general, the hardware interface willinclude a first data port configured to interface with the vehicle, anda second data port configured to interface with the smart phone. Manyvehicles include data ports to facilitate extraction of vehicleperformance data, and such data ports often share a common form factor.OBD-I and OBD-II hardware ports are well known in the vehicle industry.The use of a well adopted vehicle data port to extract the vehicleperformance data into the smart phone means that the first data port onthe hardware interface will be compatible with many vehicles. It shouldalso be understood that various adapters can be provided with kit 230,to accommodate less widely used vehicle data ports. Further, hardwareinterface 234 can be provided with multiple first data ports, eachhaving a form factor designed to interface with a different stylevehicular data port (i.e., hardware interface 234 could be provided withboth an ODB-I style connector and an OBD-II style connector, or someother connector commonly found in commercial vehicles and heavy trucks).Because many smart phones have data ports configured to interface withproprietary form factors, the second data port of hardware interface 234may be customized to interface with specific models of smart phones,such that different phones will require a different kit (another optionwould be to include a plurality of different adaptors with the kit,enabling the same second data port to interface with smart phones havingdata ports exhibiting different form factors).

Optional elements to include in kit 230 are software 232 (to be added tothe smart phone to facilitate interaction with the pricing serviceprovider), a hardware interface 236 (for exporting vehicle performancedata from the smart phone to a desktop or laptop computer, so theconsumer can use the Internet to communicate with the pricing serviceprovider, even if their smart phone is not web enabled), andinstructions 238 (including but not limited to instructions for usinghardware interface 234, instructions for interacting with the pricingservice provider, instructions for extracting vehicle performance datefrom a vehicle, instructions for using software 232, and instructionsfor formulating a service request to be sent to the pricing serviceprovider). Software 232 (such software is often referred to as an app,application, or applet) can be used to improve the user experience forthe smart phone user, as smart phones do not have the graphicsprocessing power (and certainly not the screen size) as desktopcomputers. For example, in at least one embodiment, software 232 canhelp improve the visualization of websites intended to be viewed onlarger screens.

In the smart phone embodiment, the smart phone user can employ theirsmart phone not only to convey the service request and vehicleperformance data to the pricing service provider, but also to performany of the following functions: receiving pricing quotes from thepricing service provider, scheduling a service from a specific vendor,and paying the pricing service provider and/or the selected servicevendor. Such payments can be implemented based on verbal communication,or by using a web enabled smart phone to convey an electronic payment.

Although the concepts disclosed herein have been described in connectionwith the preferred form of practicing them and modifications thereto,those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many othermodifications can be made thereto within the scope of the claims thatfollow. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of these conceptsin any way be limited by the above description, but instead bedetermined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

1. A system for receiving a vehicle service request for a specificvehicle and providing pricing data from one or more vendors able toprovide service for the vehicle, comprising: (a) a memory in which aplurality of machine instructions are stored; (b) a data link forreceiving the vehicle service request; and (c) a processor coupled tothe memory and to the data link, said processor executing the machineinstructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including: (i) inresponse to receiving the vehicle service request, conveying vehicleinformation to a plurality of vendors, to enable each vendor interestedin responding to the vehicle service request to provide a price quotefor their services; and (ii) in response to receiving a price quote froma vendor, conveying the price quote to at least one entity selected froma group of entities consisting of: (A) an operator of the vehicle; and(B) a third party able to convey the price quote to the operator of thevehicle.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine instructionscause the processor to carry out a reverse auction for servicing thevehicle based on the vehicle service request, wherein any vendorinterested in servicing the vehicle enters a bid.
 3. The system of claim1, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to convey theprice quote in a manner that withholds vendor identificationinformation, such that the vehicle operator and vendor cannot complete atransaction without interacting with an operator of the system.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the machine instructions cause the processorto convey the price quote using at least one communication techniqueselected from a group of communication techniques consisting of: (a)communicating the price quote via email; (b) communicating the pricequote via a text message on a cellular phone; (c) communicating theprice quote via a voicemail message; (d) generating a webpage upon whichvendor information can be viewed, the vendor information includinginformation about the vendor and the vendor's price quote; and (e)updating a previously generated webpage to add vendor information for anadditional vendor.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the webpagedisplays a reverse auction and each vendor can access the webpage andadjust their price quote based on price quotes offered by other vendors,in order to stimulate competitive price quotes.
 6. The system of claim4, wherein the webpage provides at least one type of additionalinformation selected from a group of additional information consistingof: (a) an indication of how quickly each vendor can provide service forthe vehicle, based on data provided by each vendor; and (b) a distancebetween the vehicle and each vendor, based on vehicle location dataincluded in the vehicle service request.
 7. The system of claim 4,wherein the webpage provides a rating of each vendor, wherein the ratingis displayed on the webpage as at least one graphic icon adjacent to anidentification of the vendor, where a relatively greater number ofgraphic icons indicates a relatively better rating for the vendor,wherein at least one such graphic icon comprises a wrench.
 8. The systemof claim 1, wherein the vehicle service request comprises electronicvehicle performance data collected from the vehicle, and the machineinstructions cause the processor to implement at least one of thefollowing functions: (a) the function of conveying the electronicvehicle performance data to each vendor, so each vendor canindependently diagnose what service is required based on the electronicvehicle performance data; and (b) the function of using the processor toanalyze the electronic vehicle performance data to diagnose what serviceis required, where the analysis is implemented before the vehicleinformation is conveyed to the plurality of vendors, such that theservice diagnosis is included in the vehicle information conveyed toeach vendor.
 9. A non-transitory memory medium having machineinstructions stored thereon for receiving a vehicle service request fora specific vehicle and providing pricing data from one or more vendorsable to provide service for the vehicle, the machine instructions, whenimplemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of: (a) inresponse to receiving the vehicle service request, conveying vehicleinformation to a plurality of vendors, to enable each vendor interestedin responding to the vehicle service request to provide a price quotefor their services; and (b) in response to receiving a price quote froma vendor, conveying the price quote to at least one entity selected froma group of entities consisting of: (i) an operator of the vehicle; and(ii) a third party able to convey the price quote to the operator of thevehicle.
 10. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein themachine instructions cause the processor to convey the price quote in amanner that withholds vendor identification information, such that thevehicle operator and vendor cannot complete a transaction withoutinteracting with a host requesting the price quotes from the vendors.11. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the machineinstructions, when implemented by the processor, implement the functionof conveying the price quote using at least one communication techniqueselected from a group of communication techniques consisting of: (a)communicating the price quote via email; (b) communicating the pricequote via a text message on a cellular phone; (c) communicating theprice quote via a voicemail message; (d) generating a webpage accessibleby at least one of the vehicle operator and the third party upon whichvendor information can be viewed, the vendor information includinginformation about the vendor and the vendor's price quote; and (e)updating a previously generated webpage to add vendor information for anadditional vendor.
 12. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9,wherein the machine instructions, when implemented by the processor,further carry out the function of communicating at least one type ofadditional information selected from a group of additional informationconsisting of: (a) an indication of how quickly each vendor can provideservice for the vehicle, based on data provided by each vendor; and (b)a distance between the vehicle and each vendor, based on vehiclelocation data included in the vehicle service request.
 13. Thenon-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the machineinstructions, when implemented by the processor, further carry out thefunction of carrying out a reverse auction for vendors responding to thevehicle service request, wherein any vendor interested in servicing thevehicle enters a bid comprising its pricing data for the vehicle servicerequest.
 14. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein themachine instructions cause the processor to implement at least one ofthe following functions: (a) the function of conveying the electronicvehicle performance data to each vendor, so each vendor canindependently diagnose what service is required based on the electronicvehicle performance data; and (b) the function of using the processor toanalyze the electronic vehicle performance data to diagnose what serviceis required, where the analysis is implemented before the vehicleinformation is conveyed to the plurality of vendors, such that theservice diagnosis is included in the vehicle information conveyed toeach vendor.
 15. A method for providing pricing data to a consumer ofvehicle services, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a vehicleservice request for servicing a specific vehicle at a computing deviceremote from the vehicle; (b) using the remote computing device to conveyvehicle information to a plurality of vendors, to enable each vendorinterested in responding to the vehicle service request to provide aprice quote for their services; and (c) in response to receiving a pricequote from a vendor, using the remote computing device to convey theprice quote to at least one entity selected from a group of entitiesconsisting of: (i) an operator of the vehicle; and (ii) a third partyable to convey the price quote to the operator of the vehicle.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the step of using the remote computingdevice to convey vehicle information to a plurality of vendors comprisesthe step of hosting a reverse auction for servicing the vehicle based onthe vehicle service request, wherein any vendor interested in servicingthe vehicle enters a bid in the reverse auction.
 17. The method of claim15, wherein the step of using the remote computing device to convey theprice quote is implemented in a manner that withholds vendoridentification information, such that the vehicle operator and vendorcannot complete a transaction without interacting with a partyimplementing the method.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step ofusing the remote computing device to convey the vehicle information tothe plurality of vendors comprises the step of conveying electronicvehicle performance data from the vehicle, so each vendor canindependently diagnose what service is required based on the electronicvehicle performance data.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the stepof using the remote computing device to convey the price quote isimplemented using at least one communication technique selected from agroup of communication techniques consisting of: (a) communicating theprice quote via email; (b) communicating the price quote via a textmessage on a cellular phone; (c) communicating the price quote via avoicemail message; (d) generating a webpage upon which vendorinformation can be viewed, the vendor information including informationabout the vendor and the vendor's price quote; and (e) updating apreviously generated webpage to add vendor information for an additionalvendor.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating thewebpage comprises generating a webpage that displays a reverse auctionand each vendor can access the webpage and adjust their price quotebased on price quotes offered by other vendors, in order to stimulatecompetitive price quotes.
 21. The method of claim 15, further comprisingthe step of using the remote computing device to convey at least onetype of additional information along with the price quote, the at leastone type of additional information being selected from a group ofadditional information consisting of: (a) an indication of how quicklyeach vendor can provide service for the vehicle, based on data providedby each vendor; and (b) a distance between the vehicle and each vendor,based on vehicle location data included in the vehicle service request.22. The method of claim 15, wherein before the step of using the remotecomputing device to convey the vehicle information to the plurality ofvendors, performing the step of using the remote computing device toanalyze electronic vehicle performance data from the vehicle to diagnosewhat service is required based on the electronic vehicle performancedata, and including that diagnosis in the vehicle information conveyedto each vendor.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of usingelectronic vehicle performance data from the vehicle to diagnose whatservice is required based on the electronic vehicle performance datacomprises the step of comparing the electronic vehicle performance datato a plurality of data records, each data record corresponding to adifferent mechanical fault.
 24. The method of claim 15, wherein the stepof receiving a vehicle service request for servicing a specific vehiclecomprises the step of receiving the vehicle service request at a pricingservice provider, and further comprising the step of conveying thevehicle service request to the pricing service provider, where the partyconveying the vehicle service request to the pricing service providercomprises at least one party selected from a group of parties consistingof: (a) an owner of the vehicle; (b) an operator of the vehicle; (c) afleet operator; (d) a private individual consumer; and (e) a third partymonitoring service that monitors data acquired form the vehicle todetermine service needs of the vehicle.